Editorial: Faith, outrage and a statute of limitations

08/28/2018 12:24PM
● By Richard Gaw

It has been two weeks since the
Pennsylvania Grand Jury delivered a report that documented the
stories of at least 1,000 survivors of sexual abuse by more than 300
priests in six Catholic dioceses in Pennsylvania. It is an open book
now, a widely circulated document, and the stories contained within,
for those with the courage to read them, have ripped through their
consciences like a tsunami of disgust, and in the wake of its
aftermath, left nearly unimaginable images to burn in their brains.

The report identified abuses in six of
the state's eight Catholic dioceses in our state that have taken
place since the 1940s: A priest who abused a young girl in a hospital
after she had her tonsils removed. A victim who was tied up and
whipped with leather straps. A priest who impregnated a young girl
and later arranged for her abortion.

This report is merely the latest
documentation in a long line of of sexual abuse that has been fully
documented and left the Catholic Church on trial for the last 20-plus
years, a sloppy mess of billion-dollar settlements, a seemingly
never-ending allegation chain of cover-ups, and resignation letters
from priests placed on bishops' desks that miraculously turn into
transfer assignments.

The incidents contained in the report
are disgusting enough on their own, but their narrative has been made
even more unspeakable by the brazen denial of church leaders to
acknowledge that these incidents ever happened, behind a veil of
robes and dogma and silence.

“Despite some institutional reform,
individual leaders of the church have largely escaped public
accountability,” the report read. “Priests were raping little
boys and girls, and men of God who were responsible for them not only
did nothing, they hid it all. For decades.”

All across Pennsylvania, the state's
Catholic priests called for prayers for the victims of this abuse,
and at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Kennett Square, a holy hour of
service was held last week, that drew 150 parishioners to the church.
While we do not deny the absolute power of prayer, nor the
unbreakable strength of faith, now is not the time for prayers.

Now is the time to take these “men of
God” named in the report, prosecute them and put them in jail for
the remainder of their lives. Now is the time for the Pennsylvania
lawmakers to eliminate current state laws that have established
criminal statute of limitations.

Currently, state law allows child
victims of sexual abuse to pursue charges against their abusers until
they reach 50, which does little for those victims who were abused by
priests decades ago, especially those who were named in the report.

There is a bill in Harrisburg, however,
that offers hope for victims whose window to sue has already passed,
an act that will wipe away the time limit for prosecutions. Senate
Bill 261 was approved by the State Senate on Feb. 1, 2017, and is
currently on the House floor in Harrisburg.

“With the timeliness of this report
and its findings, the statute of limitations bill passed by the
Senate is primed for discussion in the House,” Rep. David Reed and
House Majority Leader, wrote on his website. “While there are
discussions about various amendments to the bill, ultimately, it will
be up to the 203 members of the House to decide what will be approved
and sent back to the Senate.

“The crimes reported by the grand
jury are horrendous, and the cover-up even worse,” Reed wrote. “The
days of protecting abusers must end. It is time for all of us as
policymakers, but more importantly, as humans, to stand up against
the betrayals of the most vulnerable among us.” There is not a
person reading this editorial who has not been affected by the news
that came from the state's grand jury two weeks ago. Yet for those of
the Catholic faith, the impact of these stories has ripped another
type of hole in their consciences, because these stories have all
taken place -- to use a religious analogy – in their own houses,
perpetuated by men who have been given the responsibilities to lead
their congregations, which include children.

How this hole will be repaired rests
entirely with the individual whose personal faith has been tested by
this report. While many of this faith will determine that that the
only way their wound will be healed will be to leave the church,
those who choose to remain, we suggest, have a larger responsibility
now. They need to turn their private grief into a public one. They
need to express their anger, their frustration, and they need to
create positive change. Here are some suggestions:

Call.

Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape,
888-772-7227

Archdiocese of Philadelphia, Office for
Child and Youth Protection, 888-800-8780

ChildLine, a 24-hour statewide system
operated by the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services,
800-932-0313

In his Aug. 19 sermon to his
parishioners at the St. Patrick Church in Kennett Square, Father
Christoper Rogers said, “When we fall...Satan laughs, for he hopes
that you will not be able to rise from that fall. He hopes that by
being dragged down in the fall of your Church, that you will remain
prostrate and overpowered.

“But you will rise again. You stood
up, you arose and you can also raise us up. Save and sanctify your
Church. Save and sanctify us all.”